The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-01-08

now, when convinced he had been robbed,
he was unable TO discover how 1t had been
done--for the crime had Been committed
with extraordinary ingenuity not only
had the thief managed to unlock and re-
lock the chest, but also to break his seal,
and after having distracted the money to
rcseal the bag.
Hc knew that IL was possible 10 closely
reproduce signet with bread, but this
required considerable time. The bread
must be well worked the impression taken
while the bread is soft; then it must be
allowed some days in which to
harden. This involved double open
ing Of his chest, once to take tho
cast of the seal and again to
steal the money and reseal the bag. But
was impossible. If, however, she could
take the impress Of his seal she could take
also that of the lock. So, he reasoned, the
robbery had been committed; but the means
adopted showed that tho girl was adroit
in the art, and That in all probability she
belonged to gang of thieves. This sus-
picion was corroborated by the fact that
none Of the money was recovered except
one ducat. The rest she had passed into
the hands Of her confcdorates. Lampert,
having turned deaf ear to his wife's re-
monstrances, went to the magistrate, OBJ
taincd an order for the arrest of Marie
Keller, and few hours later she was
thrown into prison.
No sooner was this done ttsn Frau Lam
pert sent to Marie's mother, n poor wom-
an, living in Berlin, and requested that
she would come to her. The poor woman
was in great trouble; she could not be-
lieve in her daughters guilt, but was un-
able to guess who was the thief. Frau
Lampert told her that the girl had been
good servant, and had never hitherto CIV
en- her an occasion to mistrust her. She
added that the girl Marie made a great
mistake in refusing to acknowledge her
crime, and promised to give the mother
the missing sum OF money If
Marie would confess her guilt
ana refund to Lampert through tho
mother. The old woman accepted the offer
and went to Lampert. She told him that
she was hcartbroken at the thought that
Marie had robbed him; she offered him the
money which, she said, her daughter had
confided to her, and then implored him to
have mercy and withdraw from the prose-
cution Of the charge.
But Lampert was still not to be shaken.
He had now got this additional proof
against Marie, that her mother had re-
ceived the stolen coins, and he at onco
visited the examing Judge and requested
him to hear the confession of the mother.
In Germany the examining Judge holds
position to which we have nothing anal
ogous. He is in part public prosecutor, and
1t Is his office to collect evidence against
the accused. The most important evidence
is that obtained from the prisoner himself;
he is questioned by the examining judge
in the presence of q notary employed to
take down his replies. The examinations
are numerous, and formerly the most cruel
| means were had recourse to to extOrt q
confession.
During the inquiry the prisoner is kept
| in ignorance of the charge against him,
and any endeavor on his part to gain in
formation on the subject Is an offense in
law. He is not allowed to see o copy of his
own evidence or that of the witnesses. But
when the judge has failed to obtain con-
| fcssion, the prisoner is unexpectedly con-
| fronted with one or more Of the witnesses
against him, or with an accomplice, IL
there should be one, in the hope Of sur
| prising him in confession. Should the
prisoner refuse to answer he is put on q
diet of bread and water. In case of MUIR
der the accused is led to the spot where
the crime was committed, and the bleed
| ing corpse or may be the moldering re-
mains are suddenly shown to him. Tor
ture used to be employed to wiring con-
| fession from him. He was subject to a
| thumb-scrcw, the rack and to fire. Some
times he was kept for months during
winter without fire, and in damp cells
| where he was agonized with rheumatism
| and ague Tho cases are innumerable in
which false confessions of guilt were thus
extorted from innocent persons. Others
have committed suicide rather than con.
| fess to crimes they had not committed
The examining judge now proceeded
vigorously to collect proofs of Marie's
| guilt. He took the evidence of Lampcrt
on oath. In that evidence Lampert ac-
knowledged that he could find no signs OF
his lock having been tampered with, nor OF
the seal having been forced. Nevertheless,
he was able to swear, by the date Of the
ducat found in Marie's pocket that it was
one Of those pieces of coin which he had
sealed up in his leather pouch and locked
into the chest. Marie was questioned. She
acknowledged that every evening she went
| into the bedroom where the Golfer was to
tidy the room and prepare the bed for her
master. Usually she had with her the
| daughter OF the master She confessed
that she had been engaged in the room or
the evening preceding the discovery. Also
she admitted that the dress in the pocket
| OF which the ducat was found was one OF
her own, and one, moreover, which she
had worn on that very evening. Never
theless, she persisted in her assertion that
she was entirely innocent of the charge.
| Tho mother Of the girl was next cross
examined by the judge. The poor woman
like so many of the uneducated, thought to
save her daughter by having recourse to
falsehoOd. 1t is curious fact that the un.
cultured in o civilized land, like the say
age, regard lying as natural means OF
protection, which is always safe, and new
er wrong, to have recourse to. Frau Keller
confronted with the Judge, at once, and
naturally, fell back on lying. When, asked
whence her daughter had obtained the
ducat, the poor woman said that it was 9
godmother's present to Marie, which she
(the mother) had formerly retained in heI
possession, but which she had given to
Marie when she went into Lampert's serv
ice, because she feared lest, in the event OF
her own death, her other children might
seize on the ducat and refuse to give it uI
| to Marie.
The poor woman in telling this story
completely broke down the doubt which
the judge had felt hitherto in Marie's
guilt He looked at the ducat, and it proved
by the date on it to have been struck four
| yea rs after Marie's birth. The judge al
once charged the woman with connniving
at her daughters guilt, and showed he,
how false was her evidence ON the testi-
mony Of the date on the ducat. This COM
pletely upset Frau Keller; she was unable
to speak for some minutes, and at last, in
a broken, hesitating voice, told the judge
| that Marie's mistress had sent for her aud